Summer Youth Programs

Tony Award-winning La Jolla Playhouse offers students in grades 8-9 and 10–12 an invigorating and exciting acting intensive experience to build theatre performance skills. We are looking for students who are passionate, who want to be part of an ensemble and are open to new techniques in theatre-making.

Applications for the 2026 Conservatory will be posted on or near February 1, 2026.

Please sign up below to be notified when applications are released for Summer 2026.

Tentative dates:
Junior Conservatory (rising 8th-9th graders): June 22-July 2, 2026
Conservatory (rising 10th-12th graders): July 6-24, 2026

Interest List Sign Up

La Jolla Playhouse is proud to be a recipient of funding from The San Diego Foundation and the San Diego Unified School District to bring exciting, fun, and invigorating summer theatre camps to SDUSD students in their school communities during the summer. Created in 2021 by the San Diego Unified School District and The San Diego Foundation, Level Up San Diego, featured in-person classroom instruction in the mornings at neighborhood schools with San Diego Unified teachers and summer activities offered by dozens of nonprofits in communities across the city. There is no cost to families for the classroom instruction or the activities, thanks to the commitment by the San Diego Unified Board of Education. To be eligible for #LevelUpSD, students must be enrolled in San Diego Unified for the previous school year.

In summer 2025, La Jolla Playhouse offered two musical theatre camps onsite at La Jolla Playhouse.

To learn more about these programs in San Diego Unified Schools, please reach out to your school admin to learn when registration will open for summer.

This program was made possible thanks to grant support from San Diego Foundation and San Diego Unified.

Since the summer of 2015, the Playhouse has partnered with Juvenile Court and Community Schools—a division of the San Diego County Office of Education—to offer a dynamic week-long class introducing young people to the world of technical theatre. The program covers key disciplines such as Costumes, Lighting, Props, and Scenic Building and Painting.

Designed to be both educational and empowering, this initiative reaches a wide range of youth, including those who are incarcerated, transient, or part of the public school system. By providing hands-on experience and creative engagement, the training helps participants build confidence, teamwork skills, and a deeper appreciation for the arts.